Franciscan University of Steubenville

Legal Studies Classes

LST 101

LAW AND CULTURE will study law as a social
phenomenon and human reality affecting and contributing to the
definition, organization and regulation of all cultures. The course will
examine concepts and definitions of law and its limits, with attention
to how law affects the creation and realization of legal relationships
and power structures, rights and duties, order, security, and liberty.
It will also consider how law affects and is affected by other aspects
of culture, including religion, morals, politics, philosophy and the
arts. 3 credit hours

LST 102

LEGAL RESEARCH, WRITING, AND ETHICS introduces
students to both print and online legal sources; use of the law library;
and legal writing style, legal citation method, and the drafting of
legal documents (such as briefs, motions, wills, and real property
documents). Researching of case, statutory, regulatory, and
administrative law materials are included. Legal ethics, as it pertains
to lawyers and other legal professionals, will also be addressed in this
course.3 credit hours

LST 201

SURVEY OF AMERICAN LAW I examines the basic
principles, history, and leading case precedents in the fields of
contracts, torts, and criminal law. American law in these fields is also
considered in light of human life issues and Catholic social and moral
teaching. Attention is also given to the nature of the legal process,
the elements of a legal case and the structure and functions of American
courts, and alternative dispute resolution. (Social Science Core)3 credit hours

LST 202

SURVEY OF AMERICAN LAW II examines the basic
principles, history, and leading case precedents in the fields of
property, constitutional law, and family law. American law in these
fields is also considered in light of human life issues and Catholic
social and moral teaching. Attention is also given to the nature of the
legal process, the elements of a legal case, the structure and functions
of American courts, and alternative dispute resolution. (Social Science Core)3 credit hours

LST 301

NATURAL LAW studies the notion of natural law and
its relationship to human law and the political order. It examines the
natural law tradition from its classical expressions to the great
Catholic tradition of natural law to its substantial influence on the
Anglo-American common law to its role in influencing the American
Revolution and constitutional tradition. The contrast between the
classical/Christian tradition of natural law and its modern expression
is discussed. The course also considers how modern legal thinking has
diverged from the natural law tradition, and how the clash between
natural law and positivistic conceptions of law and morality is vividly
seen in many current public issues and legal questions. While not a prerequisite, it is recommended that students take POL 101 before enrolling in this course. Cross-listed with POL 301 3 credit hours

LST 303

HISTORY OF LAW is a broad survey of the ideas and
systems of law, including the development of Roman law as the basis of
many of the law codes of modern Europe and a survey of the development
of the common law of England, which is the basis of much of American law
and the law of several other countries with English roots. The course
will also consider a historical and philosophical comparison between the
development of these two systems.3 credit hours

LST 404

LAW AND ECONOMICS applies the methods of economics
to the analysis of the structure of the common law, legal process, legal
institutions, and statutory regulations and considers the impact of law
on the behavior of individuals, groups, and the economy. Topics include
the nature of economic reasoning and the economic approach to law;
property rights in economics and law; torts and tort liability; legal
processes; crime and punishment; and variable topics subject to
instructor and student interest.Cross-listed with ECO 4043 credit hours

LST 407

INTERNSHIP will give students the opportunity to
work under the direction of a lawyer, judge, or lawmaker by doing
research, assisting in the preparation of legal documents, and taking
part in other law-related work. Students will also experience the
routine activity of lawyers and assist in the operation of a law office,
or that of other law-related practitioners or an organization dedicated
to human life issues. Prerequisites: Completion of LST 102, 201, and 202 1-6 credit hours

LST 408

SELECTED THEMES IN LEGAL STUDIES treats in-depth an
area of the law, legal issues, a law-related topic, legal thinker, or
school of jurisprudential thought which sometimes will be done in
relation to human life issues. This course may be repeated for credit if
the topic is different from when previously taken.3 credit hours

LST 411

AMERICAN LEGAL HISTORY follows the history of law
and legal institutions in America from the colonial period to the
present. Major developments of the colonial and founding eras, the Civil
War and Reconstruction, the New Deal, Second World War, civil rights
era, and post-9/11 will be highlighted. Particular notice will be given
to the interaction of history and law, especially the effect of the
imperative of continuity of law in the development of general legal
principles out of specific cases and contexts and their re-application
in other contexts.3 credit hours

LST 412

AMERICAN LEGAL THOUGHT examines the key writings of
legal thinkers, theorists, philosophers, and jurists whose ideas have
shaped American concepts of law from the founding generation to the
present. Writers may include Montesquieu, Locke, the Founding Fathers,
Marshall, Story, Lincoln, Thoreau, Holmes, Cardozo, Llewellyn, King,
Bickel, Ely, and others as well as influential court opinions.
Particularly close attention will be paid to the intellectual heritage
of the Constitution of the United States and to the applicability of
natural law to American constitutional jurisprudence.3 credit hours

LST 413

ROMAN LAW The legal system of Rome, emerging with
the birth of the republican city-state and developing along with the
history of the Roman polity to become in due course the law of an empire
which embraced nearly the whole civilized world, is a human construct
of unparalleled importance in its principles, substance, and
wide-ranging and multi-faceted influence. Roman law is a general
introductory course which examines from historical, philosophical,
jurisprudential, and comparative perspectives the animating principles,
sources, institutions, substance, and procedure of the Roman legal
system, drawing both from original material, namely the Justinian Codex,
Institutes and Digests, and from standard secondary sources. This
course will be of interest to legal studies, classics, and history
majors, as well as anyone interested in learning more about this
monumental achievement of our mother civilization. 3 credit hours

LST 414

SURVEY OF CANON LAW surveys the official body of
Catholic Church law. The course briefly addresses the history of canon
law, tracing its developments from biblical and apostolic times to the
present. Particular emphasis will be given to the principles of the
Roman law system adopted by the Church in her canon law. A brief
comparison of common law and canon law will help the student to better
understand the canonical science. The majority of the course will focus
on the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1990 Code of Canons for the
Oriental Churches. The 1983 Code will be outlined and major topics
explained. A comparison of the two codes will be made, with some
emphasis on the distinctive parts found in each.3 credit hours

LST 415

INTERNATIONAL LAW I: HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS
surveys the current state of international law and its philosophical and
historical background. Catholic principles on the law of nations are
also considered. The main international organizations and alliances,
such as the United Nations and its arms, the European Union, the
Organization of American States, and NATO are also examined. 3 credit hours

LST 416

INTERNATIONAL LAW II: ISSUES AND PRACTICE engages
current and emerging issues of international law in human rights, trade
and development, security and cooperation. It will examine the role of
legal practitioners, national and international courts and arbitrators,
NGOs, treaty-making processes, and national and international
legislative and regulatory bodies in the formation and definition of
international norms. 3 credit hours

LST 435

COORDINATING SEMINAR includes class discussion and a
formal presentation to the seminar group of an extensively researched
and approved paper or project of jurisprudential interest having broad
cultural significance. Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of Director of LST1 credit hour

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